Policy Innovations The central address for a fairer globalization

A publication of the Carnegie Council

A Fair Farm Bill for America

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, March 2007

Part of a series on the United States Farm Bill

Every five to seven years, agricultural policies are evaluated and reauthorized through the federal Farm Bill. The last bill was passed in 2002; the next is expected in 2007. The larger public is discovering that policies in the Farm Bill affect not just farmers but rural communities, the environment, health, hunger and even immigration.

Recommendations from the report:

Reform commodity programs to establish a fair market price floor so that food companies, not taxpayers, pay their fair share to farmers
Bolster antitrust enforcement to reverse the current trend toward the concentration of agricultural markets
Develop a renewable energy title that prioritizes rural development, supports local ownership and promotes sustainably produced feedstocks
Collaborate with the public health community on ways to make healthier food more accessible and reward farmers for producing healthier crops
Protect the rights of farm workers and food industry workers in meat and poultry packing plants
Promote local and regional food systems by keeping smaller, more diverse farmers on the land. Give new (including new immigrant) farmers greater access to land and credit for small-scale operations
Stop the dumping of agricultural commodities onto world markets that has undermined farmers in poor countries and played a role in the increase of immigrant workers into the U.S.
Improve the effectiveness of the food aid program by phasing out the sale of food aid and transition to an untied, cash-based system

External Link: A Fair Farm Bill for America